New Medical Marijuana Won’t Get Users Stoned

Scientists in Israel are working on a new type of medical marijuana plant that won’t get users high, according to the BBC.

After cross-breeding different types of marijuana plants, scientists at Tikun Olam have developed pot that has been stripped of the psychoactive chemical THC. In its place, a high concentration of cannabidiol, an anti-inflammatory, was introduced to the plant. Instead of getting users stoned, this medical marijuana allows folks to go about their daily business without the side effects.

“Cannabidiol does not bind to the brain, to the brain cells, therefore after taking it you don’t have any side effects that you don’t want,” Hebrew University professor Ruth Gallily. “[These include] not being high, not being confused. You can drive, you can work, you can do everyday things. It’s very non-toxic.”

According to IOL, scientists are working on different kinds of marijuana to suit individual needs. Should a patient need something to help stimulate their appetite, doctors would prescribe a specific kind of plant.

“We have accumulated experience in treatment of some 2,000 patients with varying symptoms; some with pain, others with constipation, dizziness or nausea,” Tikun Olam head Mor Cohen explained. “We know how to provide a solution, whether it’s for Parkinson’s disease, for cancer, to increase appetite, problems of insomnia related to post-traumatic stress disorder … for each and every illness.”

Medical marijuana has been used in Israel since the 1990s to treat such illnesses as cancer, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, Tourette’s syndrome, and post-traumatic stress disorder. According to The Detroit News, the country’s Health Ministry is considering distributing the plants through pharmacies at some point next year.

“It has to be researched more, it has to be regulated more, so we know what exactly we’re giving the patient, which strains are better,” explained Itay Goor Aryeh, director of the Pain Management Center at the Sheba Medical Center. “If you don’t allow it, you will never know.”